Mechanical or positive pressure ventilators conventionally allow the patient to exhale through an exhalation valve attached to the air supply conduit which connects the ventilator to the patient. This valve is closed during inspiration by compressed air from the ventilator's exhalation drive output, but opens during the exhalation phase to allow the patient to exhale to atmosphere. For medical reasons, it is sometimes advantageous to provide an elevated back pressure above atmosphere during exhalation, known as positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP). This pressure is conventionally provided by a separate PEEP valve located downstream from and attached to the exhalation valve.
Prior art exhalation valve assemblies have typically been relatively large, complex and heavy. Because the exhalation valve assembly is attached to the patient's breathing tube, which is in turn affixed to the patient's trachea, the weight and bulk of the exhalation valve assembly can at the least create patient discomfort, and at the worst can lead to extubation or tissue damage.
It is therefore desirable to minimize the bulk and complexity of the exhalation valve assembly as well as to improve its efficiency. In the prior art, the separation of the exhalation valve from the PEEP valve in the exhalation valve assembly resulted in several right-angle corners in the air flow path that impeded air flow through the valve assembly to some degree.